The Sound of Silence
by gusenitsa
Summary: Expanded! Beka Cooper had never been a talkative mot, instead giving the impression that there was so much more to hear if you could only listen hard enough. It drew him in, made him desperate to hear her voice. So he poked and prodded... Why now is her voice disappearing? B/R is my canon, this one focuses on their friendship, though... in the midst/aftermath of the Holborn mess.
1. Chapter 1

Beka Cooper had never been a talkative mot, instead giving the impression that there was so much more to hear if you could only listen hard enough. It drew him in, made him desperate to hear her voice. So he poked and prodded and needled and fiddled until she exploded into a stream of creative threats and insults. He'd kiss her and for a moment he would feel the passion shift, could near taste the potential... and he'd have a new bruise to add to her collection. Each one was a badge of honor, a testament to the moment of her trembling lips it had bought him.

It was a dangerous line of work, needling the Terrier, nearly as dangerous as his actual line of work. Granted, Beka Cooper was marginally less likely to gut him with a hidden blade than some of his rushers. Still, Trickster knows he'd gotten more bruises from the feisty Terrier than he'd gotten from anyone else in his time as the Rogue. His rushers didn't dare; Beka Cooper certainly did. It was worth it to watch her cheeks grow pink and eyes spark. She stood up for herself, of course, called him old (which he wasn't particularly fond of.) She told him more times than he could possibly count that she wasn't his doxie, wasn't his lovey. Most people just ignored his promiscuous use of endearments, but Beka couldn't seem to let them slide.

He loved nothing more than catching her in her natural element, on watch fetching some too slow rusher whom he would have to worry about later.

"Are you making my life difficult again?" He asked her, smirking in satisfaction as she jumped to face him. The rusher she had been chasing took her distraction as a chance to bolt.

"It's not a good idea to sneak up on a Dog, Rosto," she cried, using anger to mask her surprise, "It'll get you hurt or hobbled, or both."

"Not nice to tease, luv."

"Try me, Rosto. Give me a reason," she said, all fire and ice and that lovely flushed shade.

He just laughed though as she straightened and glared directly at him, forgetting for a moment to be shy. "Don't bite lovey... not here anyway. Has anyone ever told you that you've lovely eyes when you look at a cove straight?"

"Perhaps someone has," she smirked. "I'm not your lovey, Rosto, and you've got no business worrying about that."

"You could do worse than having the Rogue worrying you." That got her cheeks flaming again but she caught herself and raised her chin defiantly. "Don't you have anything better to do, Rosto?" She turned to leave and he moved in front of her.

"Then keep the Terrier from tormenting my poor innocent subjects?"

"You have no innocent subjects," Beka retorted over her shoulder. She disappeared back into the streets where she had left her partner and Rosto laughed as he walked the other way. He really shouldn't tease the puppy while she was on watch. It always seemed to make more trouble for him down the line. Not surprisingly he discovered that she finished her watch by breaking a new record for number of rats hobbled in an hour. _Of course she did_; and that night she ate dinner with Aniki and Kora at the heart of his court (he would swear she was gloating.)

Eventually she left the dove with only a small smirk sent in his direction. _Oh yes, she was most certainly gloating._ He slipped out the side to meet her before she could make it back to the boarding house.

"I'm in need of some advice," he called out to her.

She paused, back still turned to him, then slowly turned around, a contemplative look on her features. "Go respectable, you'll live longer."

"No doubt, but at the moment I'm more concerned about a professional problem. You see, I think the coves I have working for me are getting sloppy. See my birdies tell me one little puppy took in 14 coves today."

She turned to walk again a stoic expression on her face, "It's probably not those coves you need to worry about." Glancing around briefly she whispered "It probably comes from the leadership. Sloppy leadership, sloppy rats."

He looked warily around them, "You know comments like that could get me killed," he warned her, dropping the teasing facade as he fell into step beside her. "Then who would bring fresh apple pasties to breakfast?"

"Only if someone hears them. Shy-not-stupid, remember. I think your tendency to take a break from your court to walk a Dog back to her boarding house is far more likely to get you killed," she continued, something dangerously like sincerity in her eyes.

"Most likely," he sighed dramatically, holding the door to the boarding house open for her with a bow. "I just can't help being chivalrous-"

He didn't get much further because Beka made a most unladylike snort of laughter and Rosto put on his best hurt expression.

"Get back to your court, Master the Piper, before someone sees your throne getting dusty."

* * *

><p>He thought the day she stopped telling him that she was not his lovey would be a day for celebration. It wasn't.<p>

Rosto had not seen much of Beka at all lately, she stopped coming to breakfasts at the Dove. Dinners there became more rare also, and it probably had something to do with that Dog. Holborn. They had met in some sarden brawl and now suddenly months later, Rosto was seeing entirely too much of that cove. He was loud, and cheerful and made Beka laugh and he talked enough for the both of them. Enough that he never heard Beka anymore. So he decided to ambush her after watch again before she could get back to her boarding house. He was waiting outside the kennel when she got off watch, For once not with the old dog (for he was old, older than Rosto...and suddenly she didn't mind so much.)

"There's my lovey," he said, falling into step with her as she headed home, "We've missed you at breakfast. If it weren't for all my rats still getting hobbled, we'd never know you were still around." She smiled half-heartedly and said nothing.

"Luv," he asked, "what's wrong?"

She looked up as if just realizing he was there and smiled brightly. It was strange and didn't seem quite genuine. "Nothing's wrong, Rosto, I have to go," she said, pointedly changing course and heading away from him. He puzzled over her behavior during his walk back to the dove. She hadn't argued with him or threatened him, had seemed reluctant to speak at all. Neither was she being particularly unfriendly. She just seemed to look right through him. He waited for her to come home from watch, she shouldn't be far behind. It was some time before she arrived, in the company of that dog again. He heard the dog's gregarious laughter before they came into view. He was talking excitedly and laughing and Rosto was relieved in spite of himself that everything seemed fine. Still something was wrong. Beka didn't say a single word before they disappeared into the boarding house.

It only made sense to have someone keep an eye on the boarding house while he was in court. Something was going on and it was his responsibility as Rogue to know what it was. (If he kept telling himself that maybe eventually it might be true.) Thanks to that brilliant idea he found himself in possession of one key piece of information later that night.

Holborn wasn't leaving.

His blood boiled. Holborn didn't know Beka, and she hardly knew him...Not that it mattered. Beka Cooper could, and would, do whatever she wanted. And so could he.

Hours later Aniki finally pushed her way into the group of court ladies that surrounded him. They made way for her reluctantly. She gave him a look and he rolled his eyes. "Sorry, ladies. Business beckons. Don't wander too far though," he advised, taking another long pull of his drink.

"Rosto are you drunk? Do you have a death wish?" Aniki mumbled the words out of the corner of her mouth so as to keep the question safe from anyone who could read lips.

"I'm not an idiot, Aniki." His slight slur cleared up in a moment and Aniki glanced down to see that his tankard was still mostly full. "If that's all?" He glanced around rapidly surveying the room. Most of the doxies still hovered near by. No mots with dark blonde hair, that was for sure. (Not that they looked anything like her, those eyes, those sarden eyes.) Red-head it is.

When he finally retired he made no secret of inviting the doxie to come with him. She giggled and Rosto nearly sent her back to the main room immediately. He hated gigglers, he thought irritably. He knew that he was probably letting anger cloud his mind but at the moment the sound of the fire-headed lass' giggle made him want to punch something. But they'd already left the main room and it suddenly seemed like too much energy to make his way back into the thronging crowd. Rosto knew how to play; just the right combination of compliments and distance, of touches and indifference and by the time the mot reached his room she was blushing dark enough to rival her locks. A nice skill to have, he considered coldly, for he was quite certain that nothing he'd done as of yet should really be enough to make this particular mot blush. Maybe there was hot blood wine in her glass?

He kissed her greedily as he unlocked the door and they nearly collapsed into his room when the lock gave way. He turned towards the door to lock it behind him before suddenly deciding that would be unnecessary. He swung her around and pinned her to the door.

She giggled again and he quickly turned her obnoxious giggles into breathless sighs. "I love a cove who knows what he wants," she whispered in his ear in a sultry voice.

It didn't have quite the effect she intended. Rosto froze in place, icy eyes filling his mind once more. Could he not be rid of her for even one night? One moment? He took a step back, ignoring the doxie's confused pout, (_as if he didn't know better._) She was playing him just like he was playing her. He sighed.

"You're going to want to be leaving now, I've just recalled another engagement for the evening."

She paused, probably trying to decide whether a breathy whine would change his mind but his eyes were hard and cold, and she wasn't so sure she wanted to be here anymore anyway.

Still she persisted, "but we were having such a lovely time."

Rosto rolled his eyes. He couldn't really blame her, at this time of night most of her potential customers were unconscious on the floor of some bar. He pressed a few coins into her hand, "and I'm sure you'll tell everyone what a 'lovely' time we had. Get out. I'm busy."

He slammed his fist against the door after she left and the solid wood splintered slightly. He needed a better door.

He was not going to think about Beka Cooper, not going to think about the fact that her newest suitor was still there. He wasn't...

He needed a stronger door.

* * *

><p>Not long after that first night the happy couple suddenly announced their engagement. (They didn't so much as he did, but she wore the ring, so she must have said yes.)<p>

Beka had stopped visiting the Dove entirely, even for Happy Bag days. She cut herself off from her friends in the court and even from Kora and Ersken. When she did have to converse with people it was like she didn't know how anymore. And it was no wonder. Rosto saw them together sometimes. Holborn laughed and talked jovially. Beka didn't laugh with him anymore. She smiled little half smiles but soon even these faded into memory. Holborn still laughed, but his laugh grew cold. His jokes were now at Beka's expense and he seemed constantly determined to act the part of a senior dog with his puppy. Somehow they had both forgotten that it was Beka's name known throughout the city.

Then Rosto's life started getting easier. Beka wasn't hobbling as many rats. For a short time that placated Holborn... but not for long. Rosto tried to talk to Beka but she wasn't interested in talking. She didn't argue... just ignored him glancing around to see if anyone was looking - as if she was afraid.

Beka left her window opened for the pigeons sometimes, so it didn't take long for Rosto to notice the raised voices that spilled out from her rooms onto the street. Whenever he went by the boarding house he heard some kind of argument drifting from her rooms. One day when he was walking by with Kora a particularly loud argument had broken out over some cove she had spoken to on her watch. He finally snapped and pushed open the door but Kora caught his arm.

"She won't thank you for interrupting," Kora warned.

"I'm not looking for her gratitude," he tried to shrug her off but Kora held fast. "Ersken and I went in yesterday. She kicked us out and told us to mind our own business."

They argued about who she spoke to, rats that she had brought in and perhaps shouldn't have, pickpockets she had let go that should have been brought in. He expected her voice to come back then, but if anything she just got quieter.

The next day he caught up to her during watch, interrupting a chase to grab her wrist and ask her if she was all right.

"Good, Rosto. I'm working."

"You're not good, Beka. Why are you letting him-"

"This is none of your concern, Rosto. I can take care of myself. I don't need your help."

She stalked away and he realized that this was the most he'd heard her voice in months.

So he tried an alternate approach. He waited outside her boarding house and 'congratulated' a very drunk Holborn on his engagement when he stalked out after a particularly heated argument. Rosto clasped the cove's arm a little too tightly and reminded the Dog that there were people who were quite invested in making sure that Beka Cooper was happy.

He began to contemplate very seriously what he would do if he ever caught Holborn hurting Beka physically. Would that shake her out of her reverie? Would she deal with it on her own? Perhaps she wasn't willing to do so, but he was. Rosto pretended to like Holborn, pretended not to realize it was getting worse. It wouldn't do for the whole court to know how much he detested the cove should he disappear one day. She would never forgive him, of course, but no one touched their mot like that within a stones's throw of his court. The fact that it was Beka had nothing to do with it. Almost nothing to do with it...

Holborn's behavior became increasingly erratic as he constantly tried to defeat Beka in the imaginary contest that they were having. He always had to be better, stronger, smarter than Beka. Holborn began to take stupid risks, engage in useless theatrics for the attention they brought him. Rumors of illegal slave auctions were starting up in the city and Holborn started asking questions.

Rosto would have no piece of them anymore than he would touch coles, but he heard the rumors. What kind of a Rogue would he be if he didn't listen to his birdies? Holborn gradually gathered enough information to guess where one of the auctions was happening. Rosto suspected it was a chance he couldn't bear to miss. The glory of taking down a slave ring on his own. Rosto didn't yet know where it was going to take place, but he did not fool himself, he could have found out. Instead he kept his distance only watching to be sure that Beka was home safely that night.

It was nearly daybreak when a pounding rang out from his door. He hadn't slept and he suspected that this news was not going to make his nights more peaceful. There were any number of things that could warrant this much commotion at this time of day, but he didn't even need to open the door to know what it was this time. Holborn had gone after the slavers last night. Gotten himself beaten all to hell most like. He opened the door, wondering if this would quiet his constant need to best Beka or inflame it.

Aniki stood on the other side and it only took one look at her face to know something was wrong. His eyes widened and the possibility that Beka had followed Holborn came suddenly to the forefront of his mind.

"He's dead, tried to take a dozen slavers down at the dock."

"and Beka?"

"I don't think she knows yet. Dogs are crawling all over the scene but no one has been sent to talk to her." Relief washed over him, _Beka was unharmed._

"Do we know the coves?"

"No."

"Find them." Killing dogs in his territory was a bold move, he needed to know who was willing to cause him such trouble. He'd another reason for wanting to find the coves, though. This was one mess he did not want credit for. He hadn't expected this so soon. Holborn had been in over his head, time and time again for months now. He'd grown reckless and it was only a matter of time before he got himself hurt... but Rosto always thought he would get out before it came to this. "Better tell me everything."


	2. Chapter 2

**I've updated and expanded this story so you may want to read chapter 1 again too :)**

**I wanted to see what it would look like to actually give this (Holborn) story more than a page to play out. How would Beka really react if Tamora pierce had told a story rather than just left it there for shock value :P Sorry... I'm a little bitter about the Holborn story. **

* * *

><p>When Aniki had briefed him he nodded and made for the door. "I'm going to talk to her. If there's to be a scene it will not be here."<p>

He made the short distance to the boarding house quickly and knocked lightly on Beka's door a heavy weight in his stomach. He heard shuffling and then the door opened. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to speak in private," he said. He could hear the stiff formality of his tone and it sounded like someone else's voice.

"I don't want to talk to you, Rosto."

"It's about Holborn, Beka. Please don't make me do this in the hall."

Beka sighed, and backed away to let him in, eyes cold and unreadable.

Rosto carefully closed the door behind him, trying to give himself a moment to determine what to say. It was unnerving, being in his old rooms and seeing the evidence of Beka's new life. Rumpled bedsheets, a dish of stale bread by the window. Her uniform hung over a chair, her spiked strap lay on the desk, her journals, her blades. There was evidence of Holborn too, but not his uniform. His uniform, his baton, his weapons were all gone. He left behind instead an empty bottle a broken chair and a vase of wilted wildflowers. Evidence of a cycle that Rosto had heard too well from the outside.

"Aniki heard from our birdies down at the dock this morning," he hesitated but then, knowing of no better way to say it continued, "He's dead, Beka."

"I should have known it would be you to come first."

Of all the reactions he had been expecting this was not among them. It wasn't until then that he realized there was a hint of copper on the air. Beka had blood on her hands. His eyes flicked over the rest of her rapidly and Beka chuckled bitterly, "It's not my blood."

Rosto tried to keep the relief from his face as Beka sank onto the rumpled bed.

"Beka?"

"I followed him," she admitted and Rosto made a mental note to have a chat with whoever was supposed to be keeping an eye on the boarding house. "Too late. He made it back to the Kennel but not much longer. For whatever else he may have been... he was no craven."

Rosto nodded his agreement and stayed quiet as Beka watched the pigeons beginning to gather outside her window. "Did you have him killed?" she finally asked Rosto. She spoke so softly that he wasn't sure he'd heard correctly until she continued. "It's not the Dog that's asking. I know we'd never find the proof..."

"It wasn't my doing, Beka." To his surprise, she seemed to accept his answer.

"Did you know? That he was going there?"

"Yes."

"I did too," she admitted, "I did nothing to stop him."

"Knowing he was going and knowing he was going to throw himself at a slavers nest with no backup are very different," Rosto pointed out.

"He would have had backup if I'd gone in sooner."

"A small room with one exit; No cover and that many armed slavers? You'd be dead too if you'd gone in sooner. And if I'd followed you we'd all three be dead. Part of being good is knowing when you can't win."

Rosto stood and walked over to her wash basin, dipping a cloth in the water and wringing it out. He offered her the cloth but Beka didn't so much as glance down at him. He knelt and began to rinse the blood off one hand then another. He retreated to the basin and wrung out the cloth, using Kora's wooden charm to purge the remaining bloodstains from it before returning to Beka's side. The blood was dried onto her hands by now (_how long had she sat here, staring at the stains as they dried on her skin?_) By the third pass with a clean cloth Beka pulled her gaze from the window to look down at him.

"It won't come off," she murmured.

"It is coming off. I'm going to go get some fresh water." She nodded and Rosto took the wash basin across the hall to Kora's room, knocking lightly "Kora?" There was a rush of wind from inside and he stepped back as the door heated up. "Kora, stop trying to roast me and open this door."

"You know better, R-" Kora started as she opened the door. When she saw the basin and it's bloody water she quieted. "What happened?"

"Holborn is dead. Beka is not going to want to stay in those rooms." He tossed the bloody water out Kora's window, somehow it hadn't seemed like a good idea to do that in front of Beka.

"I'll go talk to Aniki."

"Before you go," Rosto caught her, "she's dried blood all over her hands."

Kora nodded and returned to Beka's room with Rosto. She hugged her friend tight and to his surprise Rosto saw that Kora was crying. It wasn't until he noticed Kora's tears that it occurred to him the Beka had shed no tears. Kora pulled out another wooden charm and passed it quickly over Beka's hands. The dried blood vanished.

"You can have my room, Beka," Kora said quietly, "I'll move in with Aniki... or into the Dove."

Beka nodded gratefully and Kora hurried off to make arrangements with Aniki as Rosto returned her now clean basin.

"They bury him day after tomorrow, Rosto. Will you come?"

"We'll be there."

* * *

><p>Kora moved her stuff out of her room that day so Beka wouldn't have to sleep in the room she had shared with Holborn. Beka was quiet still, until that night, apparently.<p>

When Aniki arrived at the dove the next day she looked nervous.

"What is it Aniki?"

"It's Beka. She was up all night. Sounded like nightmares."

Rosto nodded. It wasn't much of a surprise. He'd had them himself on nights he'd washed the blood from his own hands. _Perhaps he should have kept a closer eye on Holborn, for her sake?_ Then he remembered the mad look of hotblood wine in Holborn's eyes. It was for her sake that he hadn't, and the guilt all but disappeared again. "We've had word from our waterfront birdies. The slavers haven't left Corus yet, if the rumors are true."

"That's the other thing," Aniki said. Rosto raised his eyebrows in a gesture for her to continue. "She got herself put back on the watch rotation already. I'd put good silver she's down at the docks today."

Rosto muttered a couple words in Scanran that made Aniki's eyes widen then he muttered "We have to find them first," not bothering to switch to common. His birdies had given him a few names but Beka had the advantage of having seen the cove's. Rosto made his way along the waterfront on the north end (Aniki had started at the Market bridge and moved south.) He watched carefully for a passing dog uniform out of the corner of his eye.

Finally he heard a dog's whistle and grimaced, turning and sprinting in the direction of the signal. Three short blasts two long. Rosto slackened his pace. That was the signal for the cage dogs... not a distress call. When he arrived on the scene the cage dogs were already carting away three coves in leather hobbles. He was just starting to suspect that perhaps he'd been wrong about Cooper's intentions when he caught sight of her seated in an alleyway. Her partner, a younger dog Rosto didn't know was wrapping up a gash in her forearm. Another sliced across her cheek. Rosto waited until the dog tied the band tight and told her to head back to the Kennel before he stepped forward.

"Trickster take you, Cooper, you been hearing Heskaly's drum?"

"What are you doing here?" Beka replied cooly.

"Are you cracked?" he repeated.

"I'm doing my job."

"You're looking for vengeance."

"So what if I am," Beka spat. "They're rats, I'm a dog. It's what we do."

Rosto swallowed hard and wiped a smear of blood from her forehead with his tunic sleeve. Despite his worry, he hadn't seen that spark in her eyes for so many months now. He could never admit out loud how unreasonably happy it made him to see her hunting down rats again... anything was better then that flat look in her eyes. "Let me help you, then."

"You're going to help me catch rats?" Beka asked with a laugh.

"I've no intention of burying you with him, Beka!" he retorted. "Killin' dogs in my territory without my permission? I've got as much a right to them as the dogs do." Beka nodded and Rosto let her from the alley, "we'll get you fixed up at the Dove, alright puppy?"

"We've healers at the Kennel-" Beka retorted

"Who are most distracted by a fire that broke out in one of the shops this afternoon. Common, luv, you said you would let me help. So let me help."

* * *

><p>The healer finished and left Beka's room (and Beka had to admit it was nice to not have to wait in line behind the more seriously injured dogs.) Rosto had been watching her intently while the healer did his work and now finally, he spoke. "If I'm going to help you I need to know what I'm getting myself into. Is this anger or a death wish?"<p>

Beka's cheeks flamed and she didn't answer save for a glare.

"Beka you can glare at me all you want but I'm still going to need an answer." When she didn't respond he sighed and moved to sit next to her on her bed. "You think I don't understand what you're felling, Cooper? I've buried friends. I've buried lovers. I know that mixture of pain and anger and guilt and it will eat you alive if you let it."

"I don't feel anything!" Beka suddenly spat at him.

He paused for a moment, caught off guard. "I know that's not true love, because you're angry with me right now," he teased gently.

"I've not cried for him, Rosto. Not once. Kora has. Even Aniki has cried for him."

"They cry for you Beka, not for him."

"Doesn't he deserve tears? Even if... No one should go to the Black God without someone to cry for them."

"He'll have that. Just not from you."

"That's why I have to cage his killers, Rosto. It's what I'm supposed to do, right?"

"If that will give you peace. Who's the new partner, Beka? He didn't have a scratch on him."

"Marco...He's a first year dog-"

"Craven?"

"No, just... just new."

"Well then, until your new partner is not so... new... I am your backup, understand?"

"And what is your Court going to think of you walking patrols with a dog?"

"They'll think it's unwise to murder dogs on my doorstep."

* * *

><p>The slavers went underground the next day though, and for all her patrols she heard nothing of them that day. She walked with her new partner and a stone in her pocket. Kora gave one to her and one to Rosto. If she saw any signs of the slavers she was to warm the stone with her fingers and Rosto would know that she needed help. When he found her after her watch she was surrounded by her pigeons listening with a look of irritation on her face. He pulled the stone out of his pocket and rubbed it gently between his thumb and forefinger. Beka jerked suddenly her hand slipping into her pocket as her eyes snapped open.<p>

"I thought maybe it wasn't working," he said, speaking quietly and settling down next to her so as not to scare off the birds. The birds scattered briefly but the group soon reformed around them. He fell silent as she closed her eyes again. Rosto took the basket of stale bread from her and took over the task, shaving slices of the hardened bread off with a wrist blade as she listened to their tales. Occasionally she would speak, but it didn't take him long to realize that she wasn't talking to him. Had near forgotten his presence more likely.

"They killed you for not seeing the dogs coming? That's rather harsh." She was quiet for a few moments then spoke again, "They had no loyalty to you, did they? Perhaps they're the ones that need a lesson in loyalty. I can give you your vengeance. Tell me how to find them."

As the street began to darken the pigeons scattered. He saw a grim smile pass over her lips and she stood, brushing the last of the crumbs from her tunic.

"They take to the river just before dawn."

"We haven't long then."

"We don't need long. I know where they dock tonight."

"They? How many? How are they armed?"

"Some half a dozen left, now."

"And their position? Entrances exits?"

"I don't know. Let's go find out."

"Cooper," he grabbed her arm, "don't be cracked. Those kind of odds take some planning. These aren't unarmed rabble, they're slavers. They'll be armed, and after you took three of them yesterday, they'll be waiting."

"There's no time, Rosto. They're moving just after dark, my birdie didn't know where to. We have to move now or we'll miss them."

"Let me at least get Aniki."

"I'll meet you at the Market Bridge," she pulled away and Rosto tightened his grip.

"Don't go in without me, Beka. I'll send someone to notify Aniki and Ersken and I'll be right behind you." She nodded distractedly and took off in the direction of the waterfront as he made for the Dove. After a moment though he stopped and turned. There's no way Beka Cooper was going to wait for him at that bridge. He turned and ran after her, legs burning as he tried to keep her in sight. He gained on her as they approached Nightmarket but he had to stop and grab a minnow to take his message back to the court and she was almost out of sight again before he finished. He cursed under his breath as he pushed through the growing night market crowds. He saw her pause in the distance and he hoped that maybe she was in fact waiting for him, but a moment later she had turned and was sprinting down Rovers street towards the Market of Sorrows.

"Pox, Cooper." he grumbled as she moved beyond his sight. "Out of my way," he growled and several coves jumped away to clear a path. He felt heat against his thigh, growing warmer as he ran; the stone. She had activated it. His chest was tight with more than the exertion of his sprint. She was going to go in. She was going to get herself killed just as Holborn had.

He remembered what he had told her. _You'd be dead too if you'd gone in sooner. And if I'd followed you we'd all three be dead. __Part of being good is knowing when you can't win. _They wouldn't win against a half dozen prepared slavers, maybe more, in unknown terrain. And yet he knew he'd follow her in anyway. Suddenly the stone grew uncomfortably hot as he turned a corner and a hand reached out to grab him. He was jerked to the side and stumbled into a blind alley. _He hadn't been paying attention ... Maybe he was the one with a death wish. _He caught himself, pulling a blade and pushing his attacker into the side of the alley.

"Rosto!" Beka hissed and he lowered his blade. "What are you doing, we can't just run in there."

Rosto breathed a sigh of relief, leaning one forearm against the alley wall as he caught his breath. "Gods, Beka, I thought...Never mind. I sent a runner back to the dove. Aniki will alert Ersken and then bring some of hers."

"There's a rusher on the corner whom if we're lucky wasn't alerted by you rushing in like a cracknob. That's where they are."

"So now we wait?"

"So now we follow. They're moving, any minute now. How will Aniki find us?"

"You know the street gixies can always find someone for a copper or two."

They followed the cove's for several blocks. There were eight of them now. Fully armed and clearly on high alert. Suddenly Beka caught sight of Phelan out of the corner of her eye. She turned to tell Rosto but he had already noticed. "Aniki is right behind us," he told her. "two more of hers in the crowd. They'll move in when I do."

"We have to let them get to their new position," Beka said.

"I don't like giving them the advantage," Rosto murmured back.

"If we move in while they're on the street they'll scatter."

Nearly to the North gate, the slavers slowed their pace and entered a boathouse along the river.

"They've changed plans, Beka." Rosto whispered. "They're taking to the water tonight."

They moved in on the house and Beka could see rushers dropping out of the crowd to join them. Certainly strange backup for a dog, but she was glad to have them. Phelan slipped around the other side of the house, positioning himself and one other that followed him by the rear exit. The others folded in behind Aniki. "They're mine, Rosto," Beka warned him. "We're here to cage them, not to kill them."

"No promises love, but I'll do my best to leave some of your prize intact."

There was a sudden noise from the backdoor of the house and Rosto charged forward. Clearly that was their cue. The door crashed open and Beka had a split second to take in the layout of the house as the rushers gathered at the backdoor realized they were coming in the front.

"I arrest you in the name of the King," she said, as loudly and sternly as she could manage.

The rushers looked confused for a moment and then one began to laugh. Rosto moved before Beka had even processed the situation and slammed the laughing cove into the wall. Droplets of blood trickled down the knife at his neck and dripped to the floor. The cove had a naked blade in one hand but Rosto held his wrist securely to the wall with his other hand. "Her king's baton or your king's blade," Rosto growled, "Choose wisely."

Aniki and hers had begun to advance and Phelan knocked down the door behind them. Then there was a thud as the slaver Rosto held dropped his weapon. Phelan moved behind the remaining slavers. They were still outnumbered, though, and it wouldn't be long before the slavers realized this. Beka pulled out her whistle and blew the signal for cage dogs as she moved to Rosto's side and quickly tied his captive's wrists with her leather cord. Rosto wiped the blade on his trousers easily but Beka could see he still held himself tense as a spring. The stillness lasted only for a moment but finally someone moved. One of the slavers lifted a blade and charged towards Beka, knife raised and several others seemed to take this as a signal to move. Beka ducked to the side and nap tapped the cove who had charged her. She'd barely raised her baton again when another cove was on her from the side. Before she'd a chance to move the cove fell, one of Rosto's blades in his chest. The two coves that had not moved let this convince them that their choice was ideal. They backed away from Rosto into the back wall, dropping their knives. Phelen held one more at blade point and two were crumpled at Aniki and her partner's feet. Beka didn't see any blood though, so perhaps they still lived.

By now Beka could hear the responding dogs yelling in the distance. She and Rosto advanced on the two that had yielded and Beka hobbled them to each other, since she only had the one spare cord. Beka knelt down beside the cove that still had Rosto's blade in his chest, checking his neck for a pulse she knew would not be there.

As she surveilled the area she glanced at Rosto. The way his eyes flicked over the room told her that he had noticed it too. They were missing one. Rosto glanced at a pile of lumber against one wall, the only real cover. Beka nodded, coming up on one side as Rosto took the other. They were about to move when one of the hobbled cove's cried out. He didn't say much before Aniki hit him with the butt of her sword but it was enough to warn the rusher. He jumped up, making for the far end of the pile where he nearly ran into Rosto.

"Wrong way," Rosto growled. The cove slashed out at Rosto who jumped back then dove back forward again plunging his wrist blade into the cove's shoulder. The slaver cried out and dropped his blade, his arm hanging limp. Rosto already had another in hand and it came up to the rusher's throat in a flash.

"Rosto, don't!" Beka called in warning. Rosto froze, the blade a hair's breath from its mark. The hesitation was enough, and the slaver made another slashing movement with his good arm. A hidden blade that neither had noticed. Rosto stumbled back and Beka dove forward, striking the rusher and sending him crashing to the ground.

Beka knocked the blade from the cove's hand in case he should wake and hurried over to Rosto where he leaned against a wall. "Rosto?" she asked breathlessly.

One arm was clenched over his stomach but he nodded to her, "It's nothing, love. Go cage your rats, it barely touched me." The rusher's from Aniki's district were watching the scene now and Rosto pushed himself away from the wall. "I've no death wish," he murmured quietly when Beka hesitated, "if I were dyin' I'd tell you. You'll do me more harm making fuss of it."

Phelan and Aniki took their rushers back to the court, melting into the crowd like smoke as cage dogs took over the scene. Rosto stayed with Beka until the cage dogs had carted off the remaining slavers. All to the cages but the one that Rosto had already sent to the Black God.

"We were outnumbered, and he charged you," Rosto murmured to Beka as they exited the building. "I won't apologize for that." He extended his wrists with a half-smile. "Will you hobble me for it, Beka?" One arm was coated with blood and she pulled his arms apart to see the gash on his stomach better.

"You know I'm out of cords," she said inspecting the wound carefully. It wasn't exactly what she would call _nothing_, but they'd both had far worse. "I know better," she muttered, "I would never have distracted a dog like that. I'm sorry, Rosto."

Rosto shrugged, "I'm no dog."

"I'm still sorry."

Rosto nodded and put an arm around Beka's shoulders, "Let's go home, puppy."

* * *

><p>After the funeral Rosto found her standing in the midst of one of her spinners. The one closest to the house, he noted. He wondered if she could hear Holborn in there (If there was anything worth hearing.) He watched her for a long time. Eventually her black shawl broke free of her shoulders and drifted towards him. He caught it, but Beka still didn't move. Perhaps she hadn't noticed. Finally she lowered her head and stepped out of the spinner. He moved forward and wrapped the shall back over her.<p>

"I was starting to think I'd have to sling you over my shoulder and carry you home," he said, testing for a smile without success. "Our folk went to the Dove for supper if you'd like to come?" Beka just pulled the shall tighter. Rosto put an arm around her. She seemed to bring the cold wind with her from the spinner and he rubbed her arms gently to warm them. "Thought so. So we had supper laid out in your rooms, Beka. I'm staying to make sure you eat it. Don't think you can throw it out the window."

* * *

><p>Rosto did as he had promised, helping her clean up Achoo and lighting the fire in her room that she hadn't bothered to light. He brought warmth into her rooms when she thought she couldn't feel it anymore. He was talking about court business, to distract her probably. If she could be bothered to pay attention she might have learned something but it all kind of blended into a soothing incomprehensible murmur after a while. Until he started talking about the duels. She'd no idea there'd been so many these past few months. He'd pulled out the daggers from his hidden sheaths and was checking them over to see if any were in need of sharpening. Beka followed his lead and did the same. They didn't need sharpening, but it was a pacifying habit regardless.<p>

"They'll be more since the fiasco at the water-front," he commented slipping wrist blades into place with a snap.

Beka looked up, "What do you mean?"

"I took an order from a dog... haven't you heard the tale?" He chuckled, "I'll have to start making examples, Beka, you watch. I don't have the time to sort out every new Tom that comes swaggering into the Dancing Dove." Rosto broke off and looked at her. "You're tired," he said, "Think you'll sleep tonight?"

"Aniki told you." It wasn't really a question.

"Did you think they wouldn't?" he asked, tucking the last dagger back into the sheath at his back. "All right, then," he said, "Aniki will be in later. You get her if you need anything." His dark eyes were fierce as he watched her. "I mean it, Beka, we're your friends. We want to help."

Beka kissed his cheek, "Thank you, Rosto. You're a good friend." He put an arm around her and gave her a quick squeeze, "You'll be ok, Beka."

"Rosto?" she asked as he was about to leave.

He paused and turned.

"I was relieved." Beka said quietly, "I think maybe I wanted-" He grabbed her arm and pulled her attention back to him.

"It _wasn't_ your fault, luv. He wouldn't have listened to you had you begged him not to go. He got in over his head, and he fell. That's all."

Beka nodded, eyes still distant. He kissed her on the forehead ever so gently his hand pressing the back of her head forward. "I'll see you tomorrow, love."

* * *

><p>Her eyes stayed clouded, and every smile was followed by a pained look. She wouldn't let herself move on, because she still felt she wasn't supposed to. She avoided public gatherings, but she allowed her friends to come visit her in her rooms in the evening sometimes. Finally one day Rosto caught sight of her over dinner at the Dove. She was seated with Aniki and Kora, for the first time since Holborn had insisted it wasn't proper for her to dine there. She smiled a half smile at him as she left afterwards. He followed her out the side door as he used to so long ago.<p>

"Mind some company?" he asked. When she shook her head he silently fell into step beside her. They were most of the way back to the boarding house before she spoke.

"I'm back on Happy bag this week," she told him softly. Holborn had insisted against her being with the Dog's collecting the happy bag too. He didn't approve of her 'association with rats.'Rosto nodded, unsurprised, he'd heard of course.

"I'll see you then," he said and she smiled; for the first time it didn't look like it pained her to do so.

The next morning the light broke through the clouds, a peak of glimmering hope amongst the grey. She came to breakfast. She smiled and ate apple pastys and for a moment the old Beka was back.

"Hey there, luv, save some apple pasty for the rest of us," he teased her gently at breakfast.

"I'm not your luv, Rosto, and I've got no time for white-haired loobies!"

He was only grinning because she was distracted from that last apple pasty. It had nothing to do with the spark in her eyes. Almost nothing to do with it...

* * *

><p><strong>I missed writing Rosto. See if you can remember which scene was taken partly from canon... (It's the post funeral scene. The only glimpse of Rosto we get in the book!)<strong>

**We've decided our new Beka Rosto fan club name is 'forever bitter' ... works, right pascale!? ****Leave a review if you're forever bitter too, lol**

**Anyway, this particular one is really just Beka/Rosto friendship. I love their friendship too (even though I am still *forever bitter* that it didn't become more :P)**


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